Four Tails POV
After the primal roar, the Four Tails began charging at immense speeds towards its prey. It tried to punch the troll, but the troll blocked the attack using a barrier. The Forest Hills creature hit the barrier so hard that its arm broke apart but quickly healed.
The Four Tails jumped away, attempting to slap the troll with one of its tails, but this was also blocked. Undeterred, it clawed at the barrier from every angle, creating a blur of motion as it tried to break through. The troll, however, looked bored.
"Is this seriously everything you have? Come on, you're such a snoozefest," the troll taunted.
The troll then swung its mace, hitting the Four Tails and flinging it back a few hundred miles. The Four Tails quickly recovered, even angrier. It roared again, louder and more furious, then dashed forward, moving at speeds around Mach 5 or even faster.
For the first time, it landed a punch on the troll, sending it flying towards a train station. The troll crashed through the station and continued a few more miles before stopping. The Four Tails felt a surge of pride.
Instinctively, it moved its head just in time to avoid a deadly blast from the troll. The troll's newfound speed turned it into a blur, and it began overpowering the Four Tails, beating it into submission. The Four Tails struggled to maintain its physical form as the human part of its mind began to resurface—a troubling sign.
Just then, a voice echoed in its head. "Stand down, you animal!" Naruto yelled.
At that moment, the Four Tails lost control, and Naruto regained consciousness. To his relief, he saw that friends had arrived to help him, offering much-needed support
Naruto's POV
Naruto was once again thrust back into his mindscape. He couldn't maintain consciousness for long, but he ensured he could channel the Nine-Tails' power temporarily. His entire mindscape was starting to fade, deeply concerned him, Doxie, and his parents.
"What the hell is going on now?" Naruto said, fear evident in his voice.
"You're the one who's scared right now? I should be the one who's more scared. Well, kid, we're dying. This is what death looks like, or we're near death at this point," Doxie said, laughing to herself.
"Is there any way we can prevent me from dying or something? There are people outside. Maybe they can help me," Naruto said, finally facing his mortality.
"I hope they do it soon because, in a few minutes, there will be no you left to save," Minato said with a serious look.
"Father, I need you to teach me it now," Naruto said, determined.
Everyone was dumbfounded for a moment. "What the hell are you talking about? You're dying right now, and you want to train? What will that do?" Doxie yelled, not understanding. But Minato and Kushina did.
"I have to warn you, son, I can only teach you the theory of it, not the physical version. You'll have to do that on your own. But I guess this could be a family bonding moment," Minato said, surprisingly nonchalant about the situation.
Naruto smiled. "Even without the physical experience, I can still do it. I just know it," he said with conviction.
And with that, Minato began teaching Naruto Sage Jutsu.
(Flashback)
Lee POV
"You can do it, sweet pea, just believe in yourself," Lee advised. It had been two days since he found out what her power truly was, and it had been a handful. He had almost been electrocuted countless times—past a hundred at this point, and likely not the last.
He watched Clementine take a breath, looking very focused, which was a good sign. He then heard the crackling of lightning. This time, the lighting wasn't as chaotic; it was more controlled. It looked like she was manifesting a lightning bolt, but then it quickly fizzled out.
"Man, this is impossible. Every time I try to control it into one area, it just fizzles out like that. I'm no good at this," Clementine said, looking down on herself.
Lee shook his head. He knew how it felt to be put down, but he wasn't going to let her do that to herself. Not on his watch. "Keep going, Clem. I know you can do this. Just believe in yourself. That's what's been blocking you this entire time. Just believe that you can control it, and maybe we will make some more headway," Lee said, doing his best in this situation. There wasn't a rulebook for teaching young kids mana.
Clementine nodded, looking more focused than before. She did the same thing as last time, but this time, she used her pointer finger to direct the lightning. She then shot it off like a bullet, and it went straight through the rock she was aiming at. The rock exploded, and some of the debris flew toward them. Lee quickly used one of his barriers to block it.
"Good job, Clem! See, I knew you would get it," Lee said, feeling proud of her.
"It was only a tiny one, though, but I guess it's a start," Clem said.
"Don't worry, your attacks will get bigger and stronger. Plus, the boulder got completely destroyed just by that one attack," Lee said. He walked over to one of the shards of rock, noting how it looked like it had been blasted from the inside out. "You have way more potential than you think, Clem. I want you to promise me something," Lee said, getting closer. He needed Clem to understand, just in case something happened to him. "Just in case I can't protect you anymore, I need you to promise me that you will keep training your power, hopefully to the point where you can protect yourself without me or others to help you."
Clementine had a determined look on her face. "I'll do it, Lee, don't you worry. And I want you to promise me something else," she said, surprising him. But he decided to humor her.
"What should I promise you, my lady?" Lee said in a chivalrous tone.
Clementine giggled. "I want you to promise me that you'll never leave me for any circumstance," Clem said seriously.
Lee wasn't sure how to approach this. He could promise, but what if he died or had to leave her for some reason? He decided to promise anyway. "I promise, Clem. I'll do it to the best of my ability," Lee said.
Clementine smiled and was about to say something else, but then they were interrupted by Ben, who was frantic. "Lee, we really need your help, man! Duck's turned into a werewolf again, and we really need your assistance. Do you know where Naruto is?" Ben asked.
Lee quickly turned to Clem. "Stay here. Keep on with your training," he said quickly, then started running with Ben towards the scene. "I haven't seen him in like two days. He just disappeared. I hope he's okay," Lee said, frowning. "This would be way easier if he was here, but I guess he's doing his own training."
"I guess. This type of situation has actually made me stronger and wiser, I think," Ben said, trying to make light of the situation.
"I'm glad it has. You and Travis have shown the most improvement," Lee said. He was also improving quickly. They were all recruiting swiftly; they just needed one more day of planning, boosting their skills, and tidying up a little more before they would be ready to move on.
Ben and Lee quickly arrived at the scene of a werewolf Duck being restrained by snakes and fish hooks. The users of these powers were Lily and Kenny. Travis was trying to make Duck dizzy by running around, but it wasn't working. Travis then saw them and accidentally slipped, crashing into a tree and breaking it in half. Carly was using her quick-draw power to shoot Duck's kneecaps.
"Hey, watch where you're aiming! I know we need to restrain him, but please don't hurt him that bad. He's still my boy!" Kenny yelled, trying to bring Duck down.
"Well, your son isn't making it that easy, asshat," Lily said, sweat dripping down her neck.
"All right, everyone. I think I figured out an idea. Lily, Kenny, release him, and I'll trap him with my barriers. On my count," Lee instructed. Both Kenny and Lily quickly got ready. "One, two, three, release him!" They turned off their powers, and Duck tried to bolt towards Lee. Lee quickly used his barrier, creating a dome.
Suddenly, a portal opened inside the barrier, and Chuck came out with a mana-filled punch, hitting Duck straight in the head and knocking him out. Duck reverted to his human form. Everyone took a breath, and Chuck gave Kenny some clothes from one of his pocket dimensions.
"Hopefully, we can figure out a way to deal with this more efficiently, or your son will have to learn to control this. We can't keep doing this forever," Lily said, panting.
"We'll figure out something. At least, I hope so," Kenny said, also panting.
Lee hoped they would figure out something too. If Duck's transformations were left unchecked, and if there weren't more than four people around him at all times, he could hurt someone. Lee just hoped everything would be all right.
(End of flashback)
Mark's POV
Mark's arms hurt like a b****, but he couldn't care less. As long as Naruto was all right, that was all that mattered. This monster, specifically this troll, was on a whole other level than Jackson had been. If they hadn't trained for those three days, Mark wasn't sure he could even take this thing down. The weirdest part was that he could sense everyone he had ever known, everyone in the group. It was as if the troll had absorbed their energies or something. This attack that the troll used specifically felt like Emily's.
"But how could all of them have powers?" Mark wondered. Then he remembered: everyone could have powers. They probably unlocked them while they were gone, which kind of relieved Mark. He had feared he was supposed to teach everyone how to use their powers, but it looked like they had figured it out, which made him a little bit happier.
He thrust his arms back, making the troll stumble. Mark didn't look behind himself to see Noah tracing a circle around Naruto's body. He quickly wrote "barrier" next to the circle lines, creating a barrier around them. He then changed it to a sphere, instructing it to roll away about ten miles. That was all he was able to do before getting attacked by the troll once again. Thanks to his enhanced durability, he was able to tank the attack, leaving him with only scratches and a pain in his back from crashing into a few trees and rocks.
Mark quickly reacted to a strike coming above him. He did a barrel roll, rolled away off the ground, and promptly got up. He then drew a circle on the ground, giving it the properties of a sharp frisbee with a hole in the middle, making it look like a DVD. He threw it at the troll. The troll tried to dodge it away, but the disc sliced the troll's mace right in half. The troll was able to react, leaving only a small gash that quickly healed. Mark smiled. "This thing's kind of dumb," he thought. But then he sensed the troll behind him. This troll might be dumb, but it could react very quickly.
Mark jumped into the air, dodging a strike from a new mace that the troll must have created. The same energy from Emily was so intense that he bet it was her power the troll was using. "Can this troll steal other people's abilities? If that's the case, where is everyone else? Why was Naruto all alone?" he wondered. He saw their training had worked, which surprised him and made him proud. Mark quickly shook away his thoughts. He needed to stay focused. He paid for his distraction by getting hit in the head by the mace and being flung into trees once more.
He decided to try a new tactic. He carved a cross into his chest, giving it the properties of a medical Red Cross, which, in theory, would give him instant regeneration. He hoped this theory would be tested. He also added another useful property. He then rushed the troll once more, making it laugh.
"You want to keep getting pounded by my mace?" the troll said, battering up for another strike.
Mark got hit again, his body crushed. His upper half was destroyed, leaving only his legs and pelvis. The troll was about to crush his lower areas into mush, but when the troll blinked, Mark's upper body was back. He immediately punched the troll in the face. Mark then ran with tremendous speed and kneed the troll in the back. The troll tried to use his shield to block the attack, but Mark broke it with one punch. When the troll hit him with his mace, it broke in half as well. The troll tried to use superhuman speed, but Mark was faster. He outspent the troll by ten times, delivering a hundred blows before the troll could even think about hitting him.
The troll was forced to use telekinesis, pushing Mark back and ripping off his arm. To the troll's surprise, Mark's arm quickly grew back instantly.
"How do you have instant regeneration? That's not possible!" the troll yelled in frustration and shock.
Mark could see a tinge of fear in the monster's eyes. His theory was correct: his power could do something like this. "How could I get such a broken ability?" he thought. Maybe he was in a fanfiction world or something. He wrote some stuff in his day as well, but that couldn't be. There was no way. Mark refocused on the troll in front of him. He went behind the troll, and before it could use telekinesis, Mark quickly punched it in the gut, going straight through. Then, with his other hand, he proceeded to rip the troll in half vertically. The troll fell to the ground, supposedly dead.
"Well, that was easy," Mark said, turning his back on the troll and starting to walk away. "I should probably go and find Mark, Doug, and Noah. Naruto's probably somewhere ten miles the other way or something," Mark said to himself. But then the troll started getting up, each half coming together. Before Mark could react, he was hit ten times over. He could only see a blur around him, sensing the troll's mana. It was like he had ten seconds before ten seconds even happened. Mark was completely incapacitated, unable to move because he deactivated the Red Cross.
"I can't believe that plan worked on you. Man, you humans can be so stupid," the troll laughed, amused by Mark's idiocy. "But I think your powers will become way more when I have them." His hand glowed green, about to take Mark's ability. Mark quickly moved his arm, which was completely under his chest, and started burying something into it.
Before the troll could do what he wanted with Mark, he got hit by an RV and pushed away. Mark quickly finished what he was doing and got up.
"Damn it, Doug, you ruined my entire plan," Mark said, frustrated but relenting. "But thank you for the help."
The young boy gave a youthful smile. "Somebody had to save your ass," Larry said behind Doug.
"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly was your plan?" Larry asked. From the old man's perspective, Mark had just told them he had a great plan and then ran off.
"Oh yeah, I did kind of do that," Mark admitted. But before he could explain, the two halves of the RV were ripped apart by the troll and thrown towards them. Doug quickly stopped them using his power, disassembling the RV into more usable parts.
"Mark, I suggest you do it quickly because this guy isn't going to be gone for long," Doug urged.
Noah's POV
Noah tried to take a deep breath and calm himself down. How did he get himself into this situation? He knew he trained for three days, but being thrust into such a dire circumstance so soon felt overwhelming. "Why does life hate me so much?" he thought. It seemed like it picked on him every single day.
He focused, remembering what Mark told him: "Focus on that warm feeling, like fireworks in your stomach, and then make those fireworks flow through your arms, like they're traveling through your veins."
"Yeah, that sounds right," Noah muttered to himself. A fiery aura began to encompass his entire body. "I have the power of a phoenix, so I can burn things or destroy things. But I must also be able to heal and give life, or something like that," he said, trying to stay optimistic. He surrounded Naruto with a bright golden aura, and the older boy's wounds began to heal faster than Noah could have imagined.
"Is my power that potent?" Noah wondered. "Is 'potent' the right word?" He had been reading the dictionary in the past to improve his vocabulary. He hoped it was working, but he still felt it was lacking.
The sphere they were in had stopped moving a few minutes ago, and Naruto's wounds were finally healed. Noah sat down, thinking about the past three days. He had grown to like the men who trained him; they were so kind to him, even when he was a bother. They never gave up on him or abandoned him. He thought about Jackson and wondered if he was dead or still alive. The thought made him angry, and his aura of flames shot out. He quickly calmed down, not wanting to incinerate the older boy beside him.
His mother, on the other hand, had been a disgrace. At least his father had tried to rebel and failed. His mother had just given up on herself and his father, deciding to climb the ladder of success. She always told him that God created people in His image and loved everyone like His own children. But Noah started feeling doubts about that. "Why would God let this entire situation happen in the first place? If He's so powerful and omnipresent, why isn't He stopping all the evil things in the world? Why does He want me to suffer specifically? Why does He want anyone to suffer? Is it because of our choices, or is it just His sick amusement?" he thought bitterly.
Noah was snapped out of his thoughts when Naruto, the older boy, suddenly yelled, "Yes, I'm alive! I knew I wouldn't die!" He threw his hands up triumphantly, surprising Noah, who smiled despite himself.
"You know me," Naruto said, also smiling. He noticed the sphere they were in. "Did Mark get a power? Wow, I can't believe he did that. To create such a construct, that's amazing!"
Naruto turned to Noah. "Hello, my name is Noah. It's nice to meet you," Noah introduced himself politely.
"It's nice to meet you too, Noah. So, can you tell me where we are and where that troll guy is? I have a bone to pick with him," Naruto said, determination blazing in his eyes. It wasn't just in his eyes; he seemed to embody pure determination.
"Mark and the others are fighting the troll right now. He made this entire sphere to protect us. You aren't thinking about trying to get out, are you?" Noah struggled to ask, not liking the potential answer.
"Of course I'm going to try to get out of here. Mark, Doug, and Larry aren't going to defeat that troll by themselves. They're going to need more help. And for all we know, they might be dead already, or they might have already killed the troll. The point is, we don't know. I'd rather know than not know, if that makes sense," Naruto explained.
"Okay, I think that makes sense, I guess," Noah said hesitantly.
"But don't worry, I won't break out of this barrier right now. I need some time to gather something. I'll explain later," Naruto added. He quickly assumed a meditation pose. "My mother usually did this. She said it was a Buddhist practice or something like that."
"I don't think this is a good time to meditate right now," Noah said, confused.
"I assure you, kid, meditation is exactly what we should do. This could shift the tide of battle if done correctly. So I need you to be quiet and let me focus, please," Naruto said, needing to put 100% of his focus into it.
Noah decided to try meditating too. It could help him get through these unsure thoughts he had been having. Plus, it was something to do. So, he sat down and started to meditate alongside Naruto.
Doug POV
Doug tried to punch the troll with the arms he created using scrap metal from the RV, but he was having no luck. The troll's speed was insane, and the hooks it wielded were like an extra set of limbs. At least Larry and Mark were helping him, though Doug didn't know their current whereabouts since they got separated a few hours ago.
Doug hoped they were trying to get to him. He had been hit by one of those hooks once, and it hurt like a b****. The hooks seemed designed to latch onto a target and manipulate pain receptors, making the victim too preoccupied with the pain to defend themselves.
Doug decided to throw debris at the troll. He didn't throw all of it, just three small pieces of metal. They hit the troll, indicating it couldn't detect small objects. Anything larger would likely be detected unless Doug was faster, which was a long shot. The troll quickly closed the distance, a mace in hand. Doug reacted by covering himself in debris, creating a makeshift shield. It was a good thing he did because the place where he would have been standing was obliterated. The impact flung him back a few feet, but he regained his footing.
He was running out of material to manipulate. "Come on, guys. I'm not sure how long I can hold him off," Doug muttered to himself, desperately wishing for their arrival.
He dodged two hooks aimed at his legs and neck. The hooks moved at different speeds, allowing Doug to dodge the lower one first and the higher one second. Since the apocalypse began, Doug had become more athletic, if less bulky. Physically, the apocalypse had been beneficial, but mentally, it was another story altogether.
Doug noticed that when the hooks sliced through a tree, there was electricity. The troll must be coating his hooks in electricity or something similar. Dodging the electrified hooks was crucial. Then, serpents emerged from the troll's body, their mouths opening to unleash beams of energy.
"F******, do I get any breaks?" Doug cursed. He tried to dodge but was quickly immobilized, feeling like gravity was pressing down on him. Using the last of his debris, he blocked the attack, but it vaporized everything he had. Now, he only had trees to work with, which wasn't entirely bad.
"My power is more diverse than just manipulating metal," Doug reminded himself. Touching the roots of the trees, he controlled a significant chunk of them due to their immense root systems. He managed to manipulate fifty powerful trees, flinging them at the troll. The troll, surprised, used his snake lasers to destroy the trees. Doug then used the trees to create a massive arm, punching the troll and flinging it away, causing the troll to grunt in pain.
Suddenly, Doug was weighed down again. "This monster has gravity powers too?" he realized, now completely immobilized. The troll was about to kill him when Mark and Larry attacked from behind, punching the troll away. The gravity hold on Doug was released, and he could finally move.
"Took you guys long enough," Doug grunted, completely spent. He passed out, everything going dark.
Larry POV
Larry quickly caught Doug in his arms as the poor kid passed out, having used too much mana. Doug's biggest weakness was his inability to limit how much mana he expended for a specific attack. "Give him to me. I can send him safely away," Mark said. Larry, knowing this, quickly handed Doug to Mark, who promptly enclosed him in a protective bubble and sent him away.
Just as this was finished, the troll was right on their tail, very, very angry and thirsty for blood—their blood. Larry quickly multiplied himself, creating clones that in turn created more clones until there were around 5,000 of them surrounding the troll, each armed with a silver knife. They started slashing, but the troll surrounded himself with snake cannons, shooting the clones down. However, the troll didn't account for the sheer number of clones and their relentless stamina. Amidst the crowd, Mark was landing some quick shots.
The troll was forced to use a barrier that none of the clones could break through. But thanks to Mark's persistent strikes, they managed to crack the barrier and start stabbing the troll, trying to dismember him. Larry smiled from the very back of the crowd, staying far from the danger. He knew if he died, all the clones would cease to exist, so he needed to stay back unless necessary.
A mass of Larry clones were furiously stabbing the troll's body when suddenly, they were blasted away by a werewolf. Larry was confused—this was the first time he'd seen one of these creatures. Could the troll transform into a werewolf? He quickly realized that the transformed troll, or were troll, was far stronger than anything Larry or Mark could handle. After all the clones were destroyed, Larry had to create more, knowing it was the only way to hold off the weretroll.
A portal opened up under Larry, and he saw another portal opening above him. Accepting his fate, he looked up, knowing he wouldn't get out of this one. But then, Mark pushed him out of the way, taking the hit from the mace made out of the troll's mana. "Mark, no!" Larry shouted, seeing Mark crash into the troll.
Filled with fear, Larry realized he was the only one left. He tried throwing all the knives he could find, but the troll batted them away effortlessly. Larry was soon backed up against a tree, certain he was about to die. He closed his eyes, bracing for the end, but instead heard a heavy object descending and then stopping abruptly with a massive boom.
Larry opened his eyes to see Naruto blocking the attack with ease. With speeds Larry didn't think possible, Naruto destroyed the mace as if it were made of tissue paper. There was something strange about the boy—how he presented himself was far more adult-like and mature. Naruto also exuded a strange energy, different from mana or the power the troll was giving off. It was something unique.
Naruto helped Larry get away, and they hid in the bushes, far enough that they couldn't hear what was being said. At first, Naruto and the weretroll weren't fighting. Larry tried to listen, but the distance made it difficult. He noticed something peculiar about Naruto's eyes—they had an orange pigment around them as if he were wearing makeup, and his eyes were yellow with strange pupils that Larry couldn't quite make out from this distance.
When the fight finally commenced, everything became a blur. Larry and the others were mere spectators, witnessing an extraordinary battle. There was something profound about being the only one to witness this fight, something Larry couldn't quite grasp. "Man, life's a b****," he muttered to himself.
Full Name: Christa
Personality
Pragmatic and Realistic: Christa approaches the post-apocalyptic world pragmatically, focusing on survival and practical solutions.
Cautious and Skeptical: Christa is often skeptical of new people and situations, preferring to err on the side of caution.
Strong-Willed: She is determined and resilient, often pushing through difficult circumstances with stoicism.
Resourcefulness: Christa's resourcefulness and ability to adapt to the harsh realities of the post-apocalyptic world make her a vital character in the series.
Her fate is to be determined
Her destiny is to be determined
Manability: Telekinesis she can move any tiny and not very big objects she can move medium-shaped objects but not gigantic objects at least not yet.